1. The Prime Minister, referring to discussion at the meeting of February 19th,^? said the Animal Pathology Laboratory at Hull, Quebec had confirmed on February 24th that the outbreak of animal disease near Regina was foot and mouth disease. It would be necessary to make a public announcement immediately for which a draft press release had been prepared by the Department of Agriculture.

The release would outline the measures taken to prevent the spread of the disease before its exact nature was known. In addition to the quarantine and the prohibition on outward movement of livestock, all known movements prior to issue of the quarantine orders were being traced. Now that the disease had been identified, immediate action was being taken to stamp it out. This consisted of the destruction of all animals known to be infected or to have been in any way in contact with possible infection. Animals destroyed would be cremated or buried deeply. All premises know how suspected to have been contaminated would be disinfected and quarantined. Owner's of livestock would be fully compensated for the value of animals destroyed. Where it « was necessary to take over premises or equipment to facilitate extermination, the owners would be paid reasonable compensation. Emergency authority would be given to officers of the Department of Agriculture to take whatever action might be needed on the spot. Special measures might have to be adopted to prevent the accumulation of surplus meat products in one area while shortages prevailed in others. There might be problems connected with prices of livestock, costs of transportation and other matters that would have to be kept under constant review.

For general information the press release would add that the U.S. Department of Agriculture had been kept fully informed and that special efforts would be made to inform all farmers and others of procedures being adopted. It seemed unlikely that susceptible animals had been the carriers that had introduced the disease. It would be added that the danger of humans contacting the infection was "extremely remote". Unless the outbreak were allowed to get completely out of hand, the meat supply in Canada would not be noticeably affected. Fewer than 400 animals were presently under quarantine and likely to be slaughtered immediately. The animals were on 24 different premises, all in the Regina area.

(Draft press release, undated)^?

. . .

3. The Minister of Trade and Commerce said the most serious consequence of the outbreak might be that the U.S. border would be closed to the movement of Canadian livestock and meat. The best means of ensuring that U.S. action would not be taken on a broader basis than was necessary might be for the first move to be made by Canada. If this were agreed, enquiry might be made in Washington as to whether it would make it easier for the U.S. government to avoid restrictions if the Canadian government were to ban exports from the area from the eastern boundary of Alberta to the head of the lakes. There was little danger that the disease could have spread westward from the present contaminated area as stock did not move in that direction.

4. The Minister of Justice had some concern about the effect of suggesting restrictions over so wide an area. It might imply that the disease was much more widespread than it was thought to be.

5. The Deputy Minister of Agriculture advised that an expert of the U.S. Department of Agriculture was in Regina and fully acquainted with the situation. He thought there would be no danger of its misinterpretation. It might be desirable to have the eastern limit of the prohibited area as far east as Sudbury since meat for that area came from the West.

6. The Cabinet, after considerable discussion, approved:

(a) the draft press release concerning the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the vicinity of Regina, Saskatchewan, subject to the modification proposed by the Prime Minster;

(b) the authorization of compensation to owners of premises or equipment taken over to facilitate the extermination of the disease and the according of emergency authority as necessary to officers of the Department of Agriculture to take action that might be required to combat it; and,

(c) the proposal of the Minister of Trade and Commerce that enquiry be made of the U.S. government, through the Canadian Ambassador in Washington, as to whether it would be helpful for the Canadian government to prohibit the export from Canada of animals and meat from an area from the eastern boundary of Alberta eastward to about Sudbury.